Yes, friends, this past Saturday Lotte, Grace, and two of Lotte’s friends got to snorkel with mermaids at the Denver Aquarium. It was epic. They got a behind-the-scenes look at how the Aquarium runs with a personal birthday host, 45 minutes of snorkeling in the Aquarium exhibit with fish and eels and stingrays and mermaids, admission into the aquarium, lunch and cake in their own little private party room, feeding the sting rays, and goodie boxes that were seriously stuffed with goodies.
The birthday girl in all her glory.Adults who are along for the party can watch from the top of the tank, or they can head down into the Aquarium for the views that you see in the videos above and below.Look at that cute cake! Having our own little section to eat and sing Happy Birthday was the best <3Then we ran through the Aquarium, which is always the most fun.And ended the day with a sting ray feeding.
It was the best. Chris and I (and Emilia!) had a great time, too. 10/10 would recommend for a smaller, more intimate party that your kids (and you) will never forget.
Okay friends, that’s it for now! October is chock-full of all the things (my second book comes out THIS WEEK! Be sure to follow What_Cheryl_Writes for updates on all the fun events that my illustrator and I have planned), then we head to New York for Thanksgiving and we’re rounding out the year with a last-minute, super-fun Christmas trip. More to come later, but for now … bis bald, friends!
But I’m also pumped! We definitely made the most of our summer, this is going to be a fantastic school year for the girls (a mother just knows these things) AND Emilia is finally is school full-time.
Holy hell.
Here’s what we got up to the final few weeks of summer before we are in the back-to-school-grind tomorrow!
My littlest baby turned nine. Insert sob face here.She’s a nature lover, so she requested a day at the aquarium. We happily obliged. We love you so much, sweet babes.The big girls loved their two weeks at Majestic View Nature Center camp! They went on hikes, learned about bugs, went bird watching, built tunnels, did crafts. Heaven in a nature center.Loves grasshoppers.Loves grasshoppers.Loves grasshoppers. Even though this is a caterpillar.Our NY cousins came to visit!We had the best time showing them some of our favorite spots. Including, of course, the zoo!These cuties got to spend some quality time together while Lotte and Grace finished out camp the Friday they arrived. I like to think it helped bring them a little bit closer <3These two, obviously, are too much cute to handle.Here’s a hack if you have littles who blast through the aquarium and make you feel like it’s not worth the price tag: Book lunch reservations at the aquarium restaurant! They have a super cool tank with all the best fish and it’s just as good as the aquarium if, like us, you run through it in about five minutes flat.We even made it to the Frisco Bay Marina one day!The kids had the best time building sandcastles and splashing around in the water.Just a couple of flower girls.We had lunch and drinks at Outer Range Brewing, right down the street from the Marina. We even managed a very amateur photo shoot at Standley Lake <3All the ladies <3<3<3<3<3We had the best, most chaotic time. Love this crew so much.
We spent the last weekend before school started on a press trip at the YMCA of the Rockies — Snow Mountain Ranch. Since it was a press trip I can’t share a ton here. What I will say is that it was a delightful way to spend the final few days before the chaos of the 2025-26 school year descends.
Look at this cutie little cabin! Rose was my Grandma’s name, so we saw it as a sign that it was going to be a great weekend.As if a cabin named after my Grams wasn’t enough, the rainbow on the way to dinner was ANOTHER sign.We spent Saturday morning hanging out with some of the same sled dogs that drove our sled when we came to visit Snow Mountain two years ago in the winter!We went fishing! So calming …We hiked to a waterfall! So beautiful …We went tubing! So wild and fun and NOT AT ALL CALMING!We crafted. We visited Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday morning, since it was only 30 minutes away. We didn’t spot any moose, but we sure had a lot of fun trying!It was a delightful final summer weekend spent in nature.
We definitely don’t take for granted that we live in a gorgeous place in the world. We’re so grateful for trips like the YMCA of the Rockies and visitors like my sis and her crew, all of which help remind us that to be out in this beautiful world is to be reminded what it’s all about.
We’re small, my friends. And we’re here for a short time. Leave some big (but environmentally friendly!) footsteps 😉
Until next time … bis bald, friends! Welcome to the school year!
We sure did manage to live it up for these 7ish weeks, though 😉 Here’s a bit of what we got up to after heading back from Down Under.
Camps!
I feel like we really hit our stride with camps this year. Rather than sticking to the same exact one, we switched it up.
Two weeks at the Arvada Center — for four camps total — was just the right amount of time. Even Emmy got to join in on the fun!Horse/riding camp at the Community Farm was a huge hit! The girls loved farm life, were obsessed with all the animals and, according to their instructor, were amazing at riding. The big girls did a week-long bike camp with Pedalheads. Lotte improved on her skills, went on road and trail rides, rode to the park and the library and just generally had an amazing time.And Grace finally learned how to ride! Turns out, with the proper instruction, she picked it up super quick 😉The big girls finished out their camp excursions with some awesome visitors <3 They attended “Muddy Buddies” camp at the Majestic View Nature Center and TKTKTKTKT. Which brings us to ….These cuties <3<3<3<3
Visitors!
We love our summer visitors. This time we were SO LUCKY because we had Grandpa and Mojo, Aunt Stephie and Ro, and our New York friends Carla, Fiona & Jake (who did camp with the girls). We sure do have the best time showing our loves around our Colorado home.
I love when my sister is here <3Steph & Ro & Gpa were here for Lotte’s birthday, which was so. much. fun!On Lotte’s birthday, one of her friends from school was having a birthday party at a local pool that Lotte wanted to go to. That made it super easy on us!Ro & Em got some quality time alone when the girls were in camp. It was predictably adorable.We went to Big Soda Lake one day, which was SO HOT, but also lots of fun!Sister <3We had lunch at the aquarium restaurant the day before Steph & Ro flew out.And walked through the downtown aquarium itself as well!Having a dog in the house — Grandpa’s Mojo — was a lot of fun, too!Besides going to camp together, we showed Fiona & Jake some of our favorite spots. That included, of course, the Butterfly Pavilion.
Miscellaneous
When we weren’t camping it up or entertaining guests, we managed to have a lot of other fun, too.
Grace’s first concert, and Lotte’s second, was BILLY JOEL at Coors Field!! How cool/fun is that?!We had so much fun with these cuties <3We spent a weekend at Auntie Moe’s where we rode the Buckhorn Northern Railroad train and visited that quintessential summer institution … Dairy Queen 😉Dad had a date with Lotte at Meow Wolf!Dad had a date with Grace … at Meow Wolf 😉Mom & Emmy celebrated her last day of camp with a date at McDonald’s 😉We had neighbors over for the sweetest little birthday celebration for Lotte <3We continued our annual tradition of testing books for the Good Housekeeping Kids’ Books Awards. So many great ones this year!I took Emilia to what was likely her last-ever toddler story time. She was pretty over it. That is absolutely the end of an era for me. I CAN’T EVEN!Tie-dying tees was a huge success!Who doesn’t love an outdoor/backyard summer movie night situation?!
And now, we welcome the next season of this year. So far, it’s been a pretty great one, and I have a pretty good feeling about this school year, as well. We still have quite a few fun adventures planned before we say goodbye to 2024, but until then … bis bald, friends.
The secret to smiling faces? Skittle bribes, all dang day long.
Happy August, friends! The month started out on not such a great foot for us, so we weren’t in our normal headspace when heading out on this quick getaway. (Well okay, I wasn’t!) At the end of the day I’m so glad we did go. It’s always a good idea to take some time to get out of your own head, recognize what’s so special about your life, bond with your kids, show them new things and, as one friend put it, nature is always healing 😉
The Details
Lodging (Price: $692for 3 nights)
We stayed at this Airbnb in Cañon City, which was a sweet little three-bedroom place with a large dining area and kitchen. It might have been a tad overpriced for the location (it was about 20 minutes from the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, which was our main point of interest for this trip), but we still had a blast. It was all one floor (no scary stairs for littles!), and the layout actually allowed us to put Emilia in her Pack and Play at the back of the house so Lotte and Grace could have separate rooms if they needed them (which one night they did).
The backyard was cute, too, with a grill and little table area under a covered patio, where we grilled out and had dinner on our final night.
Entertainment
The kids have a book called Good Night Colorado, and the Royal Gorge Bridge makes an appearance as one of the MUST SEE places in Colorado. When we were planning a final farewell to summer trip (the girls start school on August 16th!), we knew we didn’t want to go any farther than 2.5 hours (exactly how far Royal Gorge is from us), but that we wanted adventure on a low-key, kid-friendly level which, despite the RIDICULOUS photos, the Royal Gorge offers.
This is an amazing place for families … as long as no one is afraid of heights! Travel tip: Most of the attractions, the playground and the visitors center, etc., open at 10 a.m., but the bridge itself is open at 8 a.m., and tickets are cheaper then. (We paid $83 for the four of us over 2 years of age.)
There was also no one there early in the morning, which was delightful, and the weather was so lovely. By the time we ended up leaving around 10:30, it was getting pretty busy and incredibly hot. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been the amazing experience it was if we waited until 10 a.m. to get there.
As it was, we had the best time.
Grace and her insects 😉 She was besides herself to find two HUGE butterflies on the way in!Despite our children’s faces here, we all had fun <3Makin’ herself right at home <3Man, oh man.This girl was spottin’ tiny green frogs in the grass and slithery lizards running in the opposite direction. She’s a gem at this age, and so easy to please!Feeding the fish.They have every kind of adventure activity you could imagine here — zip lining across the gorge, climbing the gorge, white water rafting in the gorge, riding a train through it, etc. We didn’t do any of those with the kiddos, but the Gondola is included in your entry ticket price, so we did take that, and it was thrilling!
We give Royal Gorge Bridge a big ole’ thumbs up! They have a campground, “glamping” cabins, a dinosaur museum … honestly, we could have spent a week here and not been done exploring. We definitely hope to get back!
Our Friday afternoon was spent hitting up Centennial Park, which had a fantastic splash pad and playground and access to the Arkansas River and was about a mile from our Airbnb. Then it was ice cream at You Scream Treat Emporium.
On Saturday we hit up Skyline Drive — a very narrow 2.6-mile drive with the most amazing views and … wait for it … DINOSAUR PRINTS! — and then did a short hike — the Royal Gorge Overlook Loop — to take in the Royal Gorge bridge from a distance.
Nothing to see here, just a mom trying REAL hard not to drive off a cliff!More skittles bribery in action.Dinosaur prints! (And yes, Lotte does have dinosaurs on her outfit and she is also holding a stuffed dinosaur, so you can imagine the happiness this activity brought!)Chris ran up a steep, short trail to snap this pic. (Insert Wow emoji here.)We accidentally ended up taking the road for drivers for our hike (the hiking trail runs right next to it), but it turned out for the best because there was no way our double stroller would have fit on the other trail.This girl lives for a Dada snuggle <3This gorgeous view. So humbling.Back at the parking lot we had a quick picnic — with this ridonc view — before packing up and heading home.My crew. They super cute.
We stopped for coffee at The Bean Pedaler in the cute little downtown area before heading home. All-in-all it was a very successful — and beautiful — trip, and I’m so glad we did it. It’s a good reminder that it’s often worth doing something to get yourself out of your head. And travel memories are, for the most part, never a bad idea.
And now it’s back-to-school mode over here! This is the girls’ final week before heading back, and I’m so grateful for our summer trips to Seattle and New York, plus this one. I’m grateful the girls had fun experiences with camps and playdates with friends and neighbors and lots of unstructured playtime at home.
We also celebrated a 6th birthday.
The birthday girl requested a trip to the Denver Aquarium on her special day.
It was one for the books. Hope you guys are having an awesome summer, as well <3
Well friends, somehow — and I’m really not sure how — this photo was taken on New Years Eve ONE YEAR AGO. 2018 is coming to a close, and since we leave for Australia the day after tomorrow, I figured I should put together my Year In Review post before we head out, and then just add Epic Australia, as I will from now on be calling it, once we’re back.
So without further adieu, here is a bit of what we got up to in the year that started with us expanding our little family ….
Happy Monday, friends! Somehow we’ve ended up here, with only three weeks left of my maternity leave and almost into spring?! How?! No, but seriously … how?!
Anyway, our travel is finally starting to shape up for the year, which is to say that we have a couple things on the calendar for the foreseeable couple of months. We’ll be heading to Telluride for my birthday weekend, which I am beyond excited for (we’ve never been and have always wanted to go!), and we’ll be taking Grace on her first plane ride in mid-April to attend a fundraiser for my mom that my sister and I are throwing. We’ll also head to Chicago in October for Chris to run the marathon, and then we plan to head to Australia in December to celebrate G’s first birthday and for Christmas. There will probably be some other trips back east scattered here and there throughout the year, as well, but having at least those couple of things to look forward to is really nice.
In the meantime, our stream of visitors has continued with trips from Grandpa this past weekend, and one of my oldest friends will be heading our way next weekend, as well. Here’s some of what we’ve been up to lately, including a super fun trip to the Aquarium in Downtown Denver with Grandpa just yesterday.
^^ This face <3 Gets me every time.
^^ Lotte’s new favorite activity – walking her stuffed animals in a stroller!
^^ A particularly cozy corner in G’s nursery, where we spend lots of time together. These days are fleeting my friends, this I know. Some day soon this will be a toddler’s room, then a preschooler’s, and so on and so forth. For now, though, I’m doing the best I can to soak up every last inch of my babies while they still let me. (AKA while they have no say in the matter!)
^^ Grandpa Robert is the best! He treated us to the Denver Aquarium, which was our first time there. At $21 a pop for adult tickets, it’s a tad on the expensive side, but Lotte had such a fun time, I think it’s safe to say we’ll be back.
^^Her favorite was actually the sea otter section, but unfortunately I didn’t get a great picture. Gramps even bought her a little stuffed Otter — which we cleverly named Otto — to bring home.
And that’s about it for now, my friends! I’ll be back after our trip to Telluride to let you know all about how that goes. (Wish us luck, since it’s a 6 hour trip and G has not been a fan of cars as of yet … )
